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June 29, 2007 - Contractor Wins Van In Watts WaterPEX Challenge

Grand Prize winner, Paul Graham, owner of Paul's Plumbing & Heating, Worthington, Mass., plumbs a bathroom during the Watts Water PEX Challenge.

Jeff Pope, left, president of F.W. Webb, presents the keys to a new service van to Paul Graham, owner of Paul's Plumbing & Heating, Worthington, MA, for winning the Watts Water PEX Challenge. Also pictured are runners-up Bob O'Connor, Tim Dutton and Joe O'Keefe. To the right are Parker Wheat, president of Emerson-Swan, and Ernie Elliott, vice president of the Water Products Division of Watts.

Paul Graham, owner of Paul’s Plumbing & Heating, Worthington, Mass., won a new service van when he beat a field of 46 regional time-trial winners in F.W. Webb’s Watts WaterPEX Challenge. The finals took place at the wholesaler’s Central Distribution center in Amherst, N.H., June 27.

Plumbers were challenged to install hot and cold PEX tubing water lines to a shower as fast as they could. Time trials were held every Wednesday throughout the Spring at F.W. Webb branches, and local winners were invited to the finals.

More than 200 people attended and watched as 46 contractors (pictured) competed for the Grand Prize vehicle in F.W. Webb’s Watts WaterPEX Challenge June 27.

The four fastest plumbers - their times were between 1 minute, 11 seconds and 1 minute, 16 seconds - then competed in a final event where they had to plumb a complete bathroom with PEX. Graham’s time was 6 minutes, 23 seconds, beating the other finalists by a hair.

John Provencal, Sr. Vice President of Plumbing, Heating & LP Sales for F.W. Webb, said the fun event also served to demonstrate to plumbers the labor-saving advantage of working with PEX water tubing.

The four finalists were also awarded over $2,000 worth of ProPress tools. All contestants at the finals were given jackets and desk clocks for participating.

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